Results

Context for Conclusions

What conclusions can we reach about the population of respondees? We can
make inferences that certain correlations between answers to certain questions
are significantly different from zero. We can try to elucidate the causal
relationships underlying the correlations. We have at least five possible
scenarios: A and B are independent; A causes B; B causes A, (A causes B) and
(B causes A) which is a feedback scenario; or (C causes A) and (C causes B)
where C is a possibly hidden variable. With each of these scenarios, we have a
range of degrees of strength of causality.

Focusing on the causes of responses to the question of compatibility of
evolutionary theory and Christian theology, we can take a look at the
questions that have significant correlations (positive or negative).

Positive:

4: I expect that new scientific discoveries will require
revisions to Christian theology. Never 1__2__3__4__5 Always.

7: If it were shown that all events in history may have
natural explanations, this would be a problem for Christian theology.
Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

10: The value and reliability of The Bible are
dependent on it serving as (amongst other things) an accurate source of
historical information, including the Creation account in Genesis 1:
Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11c: This (the acceptance of Evolutionary theory)
would imply that humans have (only) the rights of animals.
Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11d: This would cause me to think again about the
reliability of scripture. Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11e: If the Bible's creation account is not
historically accurate, we can no longer place as much trust in the Bible's
teaching on ethics and morals. Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11f: This would cause me to think again about the
reality of Gods activity in the world today.
Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11g: The competition and adaptation to fitness
described by evolutionary theory would be inconsistent with a Christian
understanding of God: Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11h: This lack of evidence of special divine activity
in the past would mean there is less hope for the future:
Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11i: This would mean a central Christian doctrine is
flawed: The resurrection of Jesus parallels 'the fall' of Adam which
occurred in the Garden of Eden. If there was no historical Adam or Eden in
which animals did not compete for food, this is a problem for Christian
theology. Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

11k: It is more important for Christian theology to
remain consistent with established traditional ideas than to change in
reaction to new science data. Disagree 1__2__3__4__5 Agree.

One way to break down these questions even further is to define sets that
are of interest and then consider the relationships between them. Sets:
science, Christian theology, evolution, Bible, God, nature, goodness. We will
assume that the set of evolutionary issues is a subset of the set of
scientific issues. And given the context of this survey, we will consider
issues concerning the Bible to be a subset of Christian theology. We will
consider three types of relationships between the sets: intersection (to
what extent do the sets contain the same issues?); coherence (to what extent
do the sets contain contradictory assertions on the same issues?); and
dominance (given contradictory assertions from various sets, to what extent
are the positions for each of the sets trusted).

While this setup simplifies things (it assumes coherence within sets, which
is certainly not true), it is thought that such an analysis is useful in
elucidating some of the underlying causes to the attitudes that some
Christians take toward evolution.

A thorough mapping of the logical structures in the survey is beyond the
scope of this section. For the sake of illustration, we will consider some of
the questions most relevant to elucidating some of the causes for
attitudes toward evolution. This consideration will expose a couple of types
of obstacles to understanding. Firstly, we do not know exactly how questions
were interpreted by each respondee. Secondly, even when we have support for a
hypothesis about the underlying causes of peoples attitudes toward
Evolutionary theory and Christian theology, this study was not set up to
conclusively demonstrate causal relationships.

Considering the question of compatibility between evolutionary theory and
Christian theology, a positive answer may indicate at least two things - a
belief that the two sets have little or no overlap or a belief that the two
sets are coherent. A belief in the coherence of the two sets could be produced
by several scenarios. First, one could view Christian theology as a subset of
what might be called natural theology. That is, one learns about God from
nature as well as from Christian documents. Any apparent conflicts between
observations of nature and the Christian documents may be resolved in a number
of ways. Such a belief could also arise due to a misunderstanding of the
claims of contemporary evolutionary theory or of the implications of one's own
understanding of Christian theology.